Doug Jones of Whitby Farms was one of Saskatchewan's first to wrap up harvest 2017. He says it's thanks to a prototype loaner combine -- one of two sent for field testing in Western Canada -- on top of the two he runs every other year. And a family team that works together year round.

The Flaman Agriculture team caught up with Doug while he had a few fleeting moments of free time on his hands. We talked about what effect this years' terrible drought conditions had on his farm, agriculture technology that matters for harvest 2017, and his advice for young farmers facing a tough climate for growth. All before he left for the field to help one of his neighbours finish their harvest.

What does Whitby Farms do?

Whitby Farms manages around 11 acres of land and grows a variety of grain, cereal, and bean crops; raises cattle and trains quarter horses; offers grain hauling services; and much more in the country surrounding the Great Sandhills at Lucky Lake, about 150 kilometres south of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The family-owned Whitby Farms stays busy all year round. While Doug’s brother does seeding, his nephew sprays, his son-in-law manages cattle, and his daughter trains quarter horses. They have one hired man who's been with them for 10 years. After a decade of service you could say their hired man has become as close as family. In case you’re wondering, Doug refers to himself as “the gopher” of the operation.

We asked, "Who runs the combine at harvest?"

Doug jokingly replied, "That's the easiest job in the world! [With the automations these days,] mowing your lawn is way more complicated."

He likes that today's combines automatically update as conditions change, so you don't have to manually reset when something goes wrong. He thinks of driving a combine as the perfect job for a multitasker.

Harvest 2017 wisdom from a 48-year farming career.

Doug's been farming since 1969. And he says, "I never changed my mind once."

He recalls taking the leap just before the start of one of the worst periods in farming history, the farm crisis of the 1970s and 1980s, when anyone who started farming "went broke". This was due to a combination of bad economy, dried up foreign markets, and high debt resulting in thousands losing their farms.

But Doug was stubborn about his dream to become a farmer and raise cattle. He says it's the only thing he's ever wanted to do.

How did drought conditions in Saskatchewan affect Whitby Farms for Harvest 2017?

The lack of rain and the heat did a number on his crops, along with many other farmers around the prairies. Doug says his crops are located in the lowest rainfall RM in the province of Saskatchewan. And they didn't get a lot of rain last year, which means soil moisture was low this year. He admits they've had better looking crops in previous years.

Their lentils performed the worst and canola would have been a disaster without support from an agrologist.

He says, "When I started out farming, [this years' canola harvest] would have been less than 10 bushels in the acre." They got 20 this year, but they're used to an average of 50.

Despite a lackluster harvest due to the low moisture and extreme heat drought conditions, Doug remains positive. He thinks the new varieties of canola are "amazing" and credits their performance to scientific advancements in the seed.

But there was an upside. Whitby Farms came out with perfect quality lentils and durum over a string of three consecutive years with salvage value. Doug improved the crops’ success by implementing an irrigation system that uses water from nearby Lake Diefenbaker and a preventative spraying process.

He’s not the only one that’s happy with his yield given the dry conditions. CBC News reported that other Saskatchewan farmers were surprised at the quality of Harvest 2017.

The drought conditions affected the Whitby Farms livestock, too. Doug and his son-in-law had to dig one of the farm's springs out twice to get the water moving again. Their quick thinking likely saved the cattle and horses from heat stroke, unlike another unfortunate case that killed 200 cattle.

How do you stick with it during tough times like Saskatchewan Harvest 2017?

Doug declares, "Young farmers aren't used to the tough years!"

Since the farm crisis, Doug has noticed that the cycle has a way of repeating itself. He cautions many farmers face a similar fate without proper planning.

"Work as hard as you can! It's going to stay dry. You'll hardly see a field that hasn't been affected by drought."

He adds, "[We farmers] are at the whim of markets and weather. [Have a plan in place] if your wage is cut in half."

Doug reminds young farmers to hope for the best and prepare for the worst, so you'll always stay ahead. The young farmers who have a lot of faith and prepare for hard times in advance can give themselves stability in tough years.

Doug’s final words of wisdom for Saskatchewan Harvest 2017:

"If you focus on it and stick with it through tough times, you'll make it out alright. You have to bear down. Take risks and buy some land."

Doug Jones is a long-time customer of Flaman Agriculture in Saskatchewan, most recently purchasing a set of new grain bins and monitoring and a longer auger to reach taller grain bins.

Like learning about hard-working people, community roots, and new ag solutions? Subscribe to the Flaman Agriculture blog HERE. You’ll be the first to hear about the latest insights from the team!

The Flaman Agriculture division meetings were highlighted by a presentation on “change” by Craig Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club.

Clearly the Riders have seen significant change this year and Craig provided some key insights as to how and why change happens. Both business and football have competitive environments were change is sometimes necessary.

The image below features Flaman’s Saskatchewan agriculture team, with Craig standing just left of centre.

Saskatchewan Water Security Agency Releases Fall Conditions Report
Dec. 10 - 2015
[Full report is here ]
[Note: As snowfall can dramatically impact runoff, the report is not a runoff forecast but rather an early indication of what areas are more vulnerable to above or below normal runoff.]

Today, the Water Security Agency (WSA) released the 2015 Conditions at Freeze-up Report. The report summarizes the water supply conditions during the late fall and early winter period. This report helps provide a better understanding of the conditions on the ground in preparation for spring runoff in 2016.

The majority of the province has normal moisture conditions for this time of year; however, some areas in eastern Saskatchewan still have a higher than normal amount of moisture on the landscape going into winter.

The Pipestone, Qu’Appelle, Assiniboine, Red Deer, Torch, and Carrot River Basins all have above normal moisture conditions for this time of year. Some stream flows in the Qu’Appelle, Pipestone and Assiniboine Basins were at above normal levels at the end of October.

While spring and early summer precipitation was well below normal across much of the province, above normal late summer and fall precipitation resulted in near normal precipitation accumulations across most of Saskatchewan between April 1 and October 31, 2015.

On October 26, 2015, topsoil moisture conditions were generally described as adequate across the grainbelt with the exception of an area in the northeast and a few pockets in east central areas of the province where conditions are described as surplus. However, precipitation received during the first three weeks of November has resulted in additional areas with surplus soil moisture conditions.

Long range forecasts for this winter are suggesting below normal precipitation.

Overall, since 2010, the WSA’s groundwater observation well network has shown an overall increase in groundwater levels throughout the province.

The initial Spring Runoff Outlook for 2016 will be issued in early February. For more information ,visit www.wsask.ca.

U.S. firms support Canada in meat battle

WASHINGTON Canada is getting the backing of considerable American corporate muscle at a determining moment in an ongoing trade struggle with the United States Congress.
About 250 U.S. companies and trade associations have sent a letter to every member of the U.S. Senate, urging them to heed Canadian and Mexican concerns over meat-labelling rules.
This comes after the World Trade Organization sided with Canada and Mexico in the dispute, opening the door to the imminent imposition of tariffs on American goods including meat, wine, and frozen orange juice.
The letter warns that the U.S. will face US$1 billion in tariffs on a wide range of products unless the chamber does away with a requirement that meat on American grocery shelves be labelled by its country of origin.
It’s signed by some of the country’s best-known companies, including Coca-Cola, Kraft and General Mills, as well as trade associations representing everything from livestock-producers to vineyards.
“There’s a lot of powerful U.S. paddlers joining Canada in this canoe to get repeal of COOL (country-of-origin labelling),” Gary Doer, Canada’s U.S. ambassador, said of the letter.
After a years-long dispute, the issue could be decided by the holidays.
Proponents of meat-labelling call it a fair system for letting consumers know where their food comes from. Opponents say it does nothing for food safety — for which there are already inspections.
They argue that it’s just disguised protectionism — a system that forces importers to spend extra money to separate foreign and domestic livestock, drives up the cost of imports and makes them less competitive.
The World Trade Organization has sided against the U.S., allowing penalties on American products.
Now the letter-signers want the Senate to adopt a bill passed in the House of Representatives that does away with the requirement that meat sold in the U.S. be labelled by country of origin.

PROVINCE ANNOUNCES INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO SELL AGRICULTURAL CROWN LAND

Released on November 4, 2015
Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart today announced a new incentive program to encourage the sale of eligible occupied agricultural Crown land. The program, which comes into effect immediately, offers purchase incentives on the sale of the land to current lease-holders.

“As a government, our priority is administering land that has a higher public good from an ecological, environmental, heritage or economic perspective,” Stewart said. "The government still owns a lot of land that does not serve these purposes. We want to sell eligible agriculture crown land to lessees.”

All agricultural Crown land including cultivated, grazing and hay land that is deemed to have no public and low environmental benefit will be eligible for the program. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that approximately 600,000 acres of land will be sold under this program. From now until March 31, 2016, a 15 per cent discount will be applied to all sales. The incentive drops to 10 per cent on April 1, 2016 and five per cent on January 1, 2017.

This new incentive program is similar to the Agricultural Crown Land Sale Program that was in place from November 2008 through December of 2014, which sold more than 500,000 acres of Crown land.

If a lessee does not purchase the land, they may continue leasing. However, rental rates on cultivated lands and previously cultivated lands will increase for the 2016 cropping season by approximately 15 per cent over the formula rate and by 30 per cent over the formula rate for the 2017 cropping year.

"During our recent review of farmland ownership rules, a large majority of producers told us they opposed large institutions owning farmland,” Stewart said. “The provincial government is probably the largest institutional owner of farmland and owning farmland is not a business the government needs to be in.

“Our first priority for sale is cultivated lands as they are easily identifiable and the least likely to have any ecological or environmental value because they are already broken. This program allows Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers, individuals who have managed the land for the better part of a century, to purchase this land and realize the benefits of ownership.”

Land that is designated as having high ecological value under The Wildlife Habitat Protection Act (WHPA) is not eligible for sale and discounts will not be applied to land classified as having moderate ecological value. Lands classified as low are eligible for the incentive program. Sales associated with public tenders and Treaty Land Entitlement are not eligible for the program. Any parcel of land that has previously been determined as ineligible for purchase will remain as such.

Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture is offering a purchase incentive program to encourage the sale of eligible occupied agricultural Crown land
 All eligible agriculture Crown land is available for the incentive
o Eligible is defined as: all current Crown land, held by a lessee that has no higher public value (i.e. sand and gravel, oil and gas, heritage or environmental concerns) or third-party interests;
o Land that has been designated low ecological value under The Wildlife Habitat Protection Act.
 Phase 1: 15% purchase incentive (Now to March 31, 2016)
 Phase 2: 10% purchase incentive (April 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016)
 Phase 3: 5% purchase incentive (January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017)
 Lessees are not required to purchase their lease land.
 If Lessees decide to not purchase their sale incentive eligible agriculture Crown lease, they should be aware that rental rates will be increasing on cultivated and previously cultivated lands in the 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons,
o 2016 rental rates: formula rate + 15%
o 2017 rental rates: formula rate + 30%
 Note: These increases will not apply to native prairie pasture land (never been broken), former Federal community pasture lands or lands under lease to grazing co-ops.
 Crown land not eligible for incentive:
o Land designated under The Wildlife Habitat Protection Act as having high or moderate ecological value;
o Crown land sold through public tenders;
o Crown land sold through Treaty Land Entitlement;
 For more information: contact Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377 or visit agriculture.gov.sk.ca/crown-land-sale

2016 Government of Saskatchewan Agriculture Scholarship Announced

“This year’s scholarship theme, Stewards in Sustainability, is designed to get young people thinking about the relationship between agriculture and the environment,” Stewart said. “With this scholarship, passionate youth will have the opportunity to pursue careers in the many professions that the industry has to offer.”

Interested students can apply for the scholarship by submitting a creative, three minute video or well-researched 1,000 word essay based on topics surrounding agriculture and sustainability. These topics include technology’s role in agricultural sustainability, sustainable production practices, youth’s role in sustainability and environmental success stories.

"This scholarship is such a generous and amazing opportunity for students who are starting their agricultural education,” winner of the 2015 Saskatchewan Agriculture Student Scholarship Morgan Heidecker said. “Simply completing the application myself -- which was in the form of a video -- made me realize how excited I am to pursue my future career in the agriculture industry! I'd definitely recommend that anyone who's interested in it apply!"

One winning scholarship of $4,000 and three runner-up scholarships of $2,000 will be awarded to students in Grade 12 and recent graduates entering agriculture-related post-secondary studies in 2016
.
The application deadline is March 1, 2016.

Released on October 20, 2015
Today, Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart introduced amendments to The Saskatchewan Farm Security Act. The legislative amendments will clarify who can own farmland and will provide the Farm Land Security Board (FLSB) with more authority to enforce the Act.

“This summer, we asked the people of Saskatchewan to share their views to help us inform our decision on farmland ownership,” Stewart said. “They did, and as a result we are making changes that will keep farmland accessible to Saskatchewan’s farmers and ranchers. I am pleased to announce that we are clarifying the rules around farmland ownership in the province.”

Legislative amendments to The Saskatchewan Farm Security Act will enshrine the regulations introduced in April as law.

Amendments including:

Making pension plans, administrators of pension fund assets and trusts not eligible to buy farmland;

Defining “having an interest in farmland” to include any type of interest or benefit (i.e. capital appreciation), either directly or indirectly, that is normally associated with ownership of the land; and

When financing a purchase of farmland, all financing must be through a financial institution registered to do business in Canada, or a Canadian resident.

In addition, the FLSB will receive new and expanded authority to enforce the legislation, including:

At the discretion of the FLSB, any person purchasing farmland must complete a statutory declaration;

Placing the onus to prove compliance with the legislation onto the person purchasing the land;

Increasing fines for being in contravention of the legislation from $10,000 to $50,000 for individuals and from $100,000 to $500,000 for corporations; and

Authorizing the FLSB to impose administrative penalties to a maximum of $10,000.

“Our government understands that to many in the province, farmland is not just an asset,” Stewart said. “It is a connection to our history and who we are as people. Farmers and ranchers want the opportunity to own the land they farm.”

Through the consultations, the views of more than 3,200 individuals, businesses and organizations were heard. Overwhelmingly, the majority voiced support for making pensions and large investment trusts ineligible to purchase farmland, and limiting the ownership of farmland to Canadian residents and 100 per cent Canadian-owned corporations.

October 15, 2015
Warm and relatively dry weather earlier in the week allowed many producers to return to the field. Ninety-one per cent of the 2015 crop is now combined, up from 84 per cent last week. The five-year (2010-2014) average for this time of year is 93 per cent combined, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Weekly Crop Report.

Regionally, producers in the southwest are furthest advanced, having 96 per cent of the crop combined. Producers in the southeast have 95 per cent combined. Eighty-eight per cent of the crop is combined in the west-central and northwest regions; 87 per cent in the east-central region and 83 per cent in the northeast.

Ninety-five per cent of durum, 93 per cent of barley, 91 per cent of spring wheat, 89 per cent of canola, 85 per cent of soybeans, 78 per cent of chickpeas, 63 per cent of canary seed and 61 per cent of flax have been combined.

Rainfall this past week ranged from trace amounts to just over an inch in some areas of the province.

Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as 10 per cent surplus, 84 per cent adequate, five per cent short and one per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture conditions are rated as four per cent surplus, 83 per cent adequate, 11 per cent short and two per cent very short.

Strong winds blew remaining swaths around and shelled out some standing crops over the weekend.

Most livestock producers are indicating they have adequate amounts of hay, straw, greenfeed and feed grain for their winter feeding supplies.

Wet and cool weather over the weekend has slowed harvest progress for many producers, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Weekly Crop Report. Eighty-four per cent of the crop is now in the bin, up from 74 per cent last week. Twelve per cent is swathed or ready to straight-cut.

The five-year (2010-2014) average for this time of year is 83 per cent combined and 12 per cent swathed or ready to straight-cut

Regionally, producers in the southeast are furthest advanced, having 94 per cent of the crop combined. Producers in the southwest have 92 per cent combined. Eighty-one per cent of the crop is combined in the west-central region; 75 per cent in the east-central region; 74 per cent in the northeast and 73 per cent in the northwest.

Eighty-six per cent of barley, 85 per cent of durum, 84 per cent of spring wheat, 81 per cent of canola, 79 per cent of soybeans, 61 per cent of chickpeas, 47 per cent of flax and 45 per cent of canary seed have been combined

Crop yields vary from region to region but are generally within the average range. Average yields are reported as 37 bushels per acre for spring wheat, 32 bushels per acre for durum, 59 bushels per acre for barley, 34 bushels per acre for canola and 32 bushels per acre for peas.

Of the hard red spring wheat that has been harvested so far, 27 per cent is expected to fall into the 1CW grade, 41 per cent into 2CW, 23 per cent into 3CW and nine per cent into CW feed.

Rainfall last week ranged from trace amounts to nearly two inches in the southwest. Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as 14 per cent surplus, 78 per cent adequate and eight per cent short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as five per cent surplus, 80 per cent adequate, 11 per cent short and four per cent very short.

Today, the Ministry of Agriculture announced the results of the farmland ownership consultations, held from May until August.

“The purpose of the consultations was to inform government on how best to approach farmland ownership, and the results are clear,” Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart said. “The vast majority of respondents do not support pension plans or foreign investors purchasing farmland in Saskatchewan. They do, however, support our government in taking a stronger role in enforcing farmland ownership rules."

Some of the results of the consultations include:

Seventy-five per cent of respondents opposed allowing investors such as Canadian pension funds to purchase farmland in Saskatchewan;

Eighty-seven per cent of respondents did not support foreign ownership of farmland and 69 per cent did not support foreign financing; and

Eighty-five per cent supported giving the Farm Land Security Board (FLSB) a greater role in enforcing compliance of farmland ownership rules.

The vast majority (95 per cent) of the respondents were Saskatchewan residents, and 62 per cent of all respondents were farmers. The remainder were farmland owners and interested Saskatchewan residents. Only five per cent of respondents were from outside of Saskatchewan.

“I would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey,” Stewart said. “These results will ensure that we make decisions which help guarantee the long-term success and sustainability of our province’s agriculture industry.”

The complete results of the consultation are available at www.saskatchewan.ca/farmland. Identifying information and offensive language has been removed from the written comments. A Summary of Results from Public Consultations is also available.

Premier Brad Wall is applauding today’s announcement from Atlanta of an agreement, and Canada’s participation in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), one of the most ambitious free trade agreements in history.

Negotiations involving 12 nations have just concluded on the TPP, which will represent a market of nearly 800 million consumers and a combined GDP of $28.5 trillion. Member countries include Canada, the United States, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Chile, Peru and Brunei.

“This is a huge deal for Canada as a trading nation and Saskatchewan as a trading province,” Wall said. “The agreement builds on the strengths of the other free trade deals Canada has struck and opens up new opportunities for our exporters in the fast-growing and lucrative pacific markets.”

Saskatchewan exported more than $25 billion in goods to TPP countries in 2014, or 71 per cent of our international exports. The premier said the TPP increases access to those markets for our exporters and keeps them on a level playing field with their competitors.

“International trade has always been vital to our province’s economy and our government’s Growth Plan calls for us to double our global exports by 2020,” Wall said. “Agreements like the TPP and Canada’s free trade deals with the European Union and Korea will help us reach that goal.”

From 2007 to 2014, Saskatchewan’s total exports to the world increased by 77 per cent to more than $35 billion a year. Saskatchewan’s agricultural exports more than doubled in that same period.

Wall said the TPP agreement will open new markets and increase Saskatchewan exports even further.

“Our agricultural producers are looking forward to having an even stronger presence in pacific markets, in particular Japan,” Wall said. “The TPP will encourage major growth and investment in our value-added agriculture sector through better access to these markets for our processed products, such as canola oil and meal, malt barley, beef and pork.”

Wall called on all the federal party leaders to commit to honouring the agreement if they are elected on October 19.

“This trade agreement is now in place with 11 of our most important trading partners representing 800 million people,” Wall said. “It would be disastrous if Canada were to pull out now and leave Canada and Saskatchewan on the outside looking in when it comes to selling our exports to these countries. I urge all the parties and leaders to support this important agreement when it comes before Parliament following the election.”

StatsCan on Friday morning released its updated grain/oilseed production estimates, with data collected through surveys taken between Sept. 3 and 13.

Canola production numbers came in at 14.3 million tonnes, which compares to 13.3 million in the previous report. Canada grew 16.4 million tonnes of canola in 2014.

Jonathon Driedger of FarmLink Marketing Solutions, near Grunthal, Man., described the report as pretty uneventful.

“Most numbers came in line with what the trade was expecting. Probably in the case of canola the number is pretty close to the recent number StatsCan has put out with their different methodology,” he said, referring to the agency’s September report which took into account satellite data and environmental factors along with survey responses.

Another analyst agreed with the notion that canola will likely keep increasing in subsequent reports.

“The next report is going to be closer to 15 (million tonnes) than 14.5, I can guarantee you,” said Wayne Palmer of Agri-Trend Marketing in Winnipeg.

Mike Jubinville of ProFarmer Canada said he thinks the StatsCan survey likely missed the period when yields started to increase as a result of the late summer rain.

“The last third or half of this harvest is probably where some of the bigger yields are. This survey was from the 3rd (of September) to the 13th, so it didn’t capture that.”

Most of the other crop estimates, he said, were in line with what he expected, except for barley.

“StatsCan boosted the harvest area by 138,000 acres, which is a bit unusual,” he said, adding that if anything, he thought barley would have lost acreage. Canada grew 7.1 million tonnes of barley last year.

StatsCan pegged barley production in today’s report at 7.6 million tonnes, compared to 7.3 million in the previous report.

All-wheat production also rose by a significant margin. StatsCan pegged it in today’s report at 26.1 million tonnes, which compares to 24.6 million in the previous report. Last year Canada grew 29.4 million tonnes of all wheat.

Keith Ferley of RBC Dominion Securities in Winnipeg said he was a little surprised by the increase but doesn’t expect it to rise much further in any subsequent reports.

“The cereals didn’t respond in the dry western regions as well as the canola did, because the rains came too late for them,” he explained.

For Jubinville’s part, he thinks all-wheat production numbers could still keep climbing.

“I won’t be surprised if the yield average gets bumped up more… we could see a 27 million (-tonne) wheat crop,” he said.

— Dave Simswrites for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting. Follow CNS Canada at @CNSCanada on Twitter.

Table:A quick summary of Statistics Canada’s latest crop production estimates for 2015-16, in millions of tonnes. Pre-report estimates and final 2014-15 figures included for comparison.

Warm and relatively dry weather has allowed many producers to return to the field following last week’s rain delay. Seventy-four per cent of the crop is now in the bin while 19 per cent is swathed or ready to straight-cut, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Weekly Crop Report. The five-year (2010-2014) average for this time of year is 71 per cent combined and 20 per cent swathed or ready to straight-cut.

Regionally, producers in the southeast are furthest advanced, having 88 per cent of the crop combined. Producers in the southwest have 85 per cent combined. Seventy per cent of the crop is combined in the west-central region; 66 per cent in the east-central region; 57 per cent in the northwest and 59 per cent in the northeast.

Eighty-seven per cent of mustard, 79 per cent of durum, 77 per cent of barley, 72 per cent of spring wheat, 70 per cent of canola, 46 per cent of soybeans and 33 per cent of flax have been combined.

The majority of the province did not receive any rainfall this past week. Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as five per cent surplus, 86 per cent adequate, eight per cent short and one per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture conditions are rated as three per cent surplus, 76 per cent adequate, 18 per cent short and three per cent very short.

Many areas received frost this past week, although damage is minimal in most cases as crops were mature. Weather-related quality issues continue to cause concern in most areas. While overall yields are reported to be about average, they vary from region to region.

The Ministry of Agriculture has a Forage, Feed and Custom Service listing for producers to advertise and source feed products. It is available at www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/FeedForageListing.

CNS Canada — Prairie farmers are in the final stages of harvesting the 2015 wheat crop, and while yields continue to beat earlier expectations, there’s a distinct quality difference between crops harvested early and those harvested late.

“In our country, all of the grain was top grade, but anything that was left out at this stage is probably a No. 3,” said Bill Craddock, a Manitoba farmer and local trader.

That sentiment is even more pronounced in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

“The first half of harvest had quality patterns in the top tier,” said market analyst Jon Driedger of Farm Link Marketing Solutions.

However, while the early-harvested wheat was generally hitting No. 1 or No. 2 quality levels, the last half was hit by rain and a good portion of that will grade No. 3 or lower.

The question now is how much will be pushed all the way down into feed-grade and how much is still salvageable for milling quality, said Driedger. “The longer this drags out, the worse it gets.”

However, grade spreads for the good-quality early-harvested wheat are not widening out as much as could be expected, with the trade still feeling it will be able to work with the supplies available, he said.

The supply of good-quality grain is still better than last year when there was more widespread degradation, said Neil Townsend, director of market research services at G3 Canada, formerly CWB.

Cool and wet weather during the week slowed down harvest operations. Sixty per cent of the 2015 crop is now combined and 28 per cent is swathed or ready to straight-cut, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Weekly Crop Report. The five-year (2010-2014) average for this time of year is 56 per cent combined and 27 per cent swathed or ready to straight-cut.

Regionally, producers in the southwest are furthest advanced, having 81 per cent of the crop combined. Producers in the southeast have 79 per cent combined. Fifty-two per cent of the crop is combined in the west-central region; 47 per cent in the east-central region; 32 per cent in the northwest; and 34 per cent in the northeast.

Rainfall this past week ranged from trace amounts to nearly two inches in northern regions. Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as 11 per cent surplus, 81 per cent adequate, seven per cent short and one per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture conditions are rated as three per cent surplus, 82 per cent adequate, 13 per cent short and two per cent very short.

Some areas experienced frost, although damage is minimal in most cases as crops were mature. However, weather-related quality issues such as bleaching and sprouting continue to cause concern in some areas. While overall yields are reported to be about average, they vary from region to region. Crop damage this past week was mainly attributed to rain, wind and flooding.

Provincially, seven per cent of the pasture is reported to be in excellent condition while 52 per cent is in good condition, 34 per cent fair, six per cent poor and one per cent in very poor condition.

CNS Canada — Wheat and canola production are expected to be higher than in previous estimates, but still lower than in 2014, according to a new Statistics Canada model for field crop production estimates.

The model-based report, released Thursday, pegs this year’s spring wheat production at 18.4 million tonnes, higher than previously forecast in the Aug. 21 Production of Principal Field Crops report, which estimated spring wheat production at about 18 million.

Despite the increase, wheat production will still be down 13 per cent from 2014.

Canola production is expected to hit 14.4 million tonnes, compared with Aug. 21 estimate of 13.3 million.

However, canola will still see an 11.6 per cent decrease from 2014.

At this point, traders are shrugging off the new information, but it could act as an influencer moving forward.

The report, using data collected up to the end of August, confirms what the market had expected, said Jerry Klassen, manager of the Canadian office for Swiss-based GAP SA Grains and Products.

“I don’t think this is having too much of an impact overall, I think it confirms we’re down from last year.

“For now I think the trade is fairly comfortable with that production number.”

The new model-based principal field estimates are calculated with a system developed by StatsCan and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

The report isn’t more or less accurate than StatsCan’s previous crop production report; it’s just a different way of collecting the information, said Cindy Carter, senior analyst for StatsCan’s crops unit.

“They’re looking at having this model replace the September survey in the future.”

Klassen said traders will balance the survey-based and model-based numbers and use both to come up with a yield estimate.

“It helps give us an idea, if there was significant discrepancies on the survey — it’s one more piece of information that can be used.”

The model-based report puts soybean production across Canada at 5.9 million tonnes, up 2.1 per cent from 2014, while grain corn is expected to total 12.7 million tonnes, up 12.5 per cent.

Barley production is pegged at seven million tonnes, up 0.5 per cent from 2014, while oat production is forecast to rise 10.9 per cent to 3.2 million tonnes.

— Jade Markuswrites for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting. Follow her at @jade_markus on Twitter. Includes files from AGCanada.com Network staff.

Table:A quick summary of Statistics Canada’s model-based principal field crop estimates as of Aug. 31, 2015, released Sept. 17, 2015. Survey production estimates and last year’s crop production are included for comparison. Production in millions of tonnes.

Harvest is advancing despite delays due to wet field conditions. Warm and dry weather is needed before many producers can return to the field.

Fifty-two per cent of the 2015 crop is combined and 30 per cent is swathed or ready to straight-cut, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report. The five-year (2010-2014) average for this time of year is 42 per cent combined and 33 per cent swathed or ready to straight-cut.

Regionally, producers in the southwest are furthest advanced, having 75 per cent of the crop combined. Producers in the southeast have 73 per cent combined. Forty per cent of the crop is combined in the west-central region; 37 per cent in the east-central region; 30 per cent in the northwest and 29 per cent in the northeast.

Rainfall this past week ranged from trace amounts to more than an inch in some southwestern and northeastern areas. Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as 11 per cent surplus, 82 per cent adequate, six per cent short and one per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture conditions are rated as five per cent surplus, 81 per cent adequate, 12 per cent short and two per cent very short.

Strong winds have blown swaths around and lodged and shelled out some standing crops. Some parts of the province received frost, but damage is minimal in most cases as crops were mature.

Of the crops that have been harvested so far, 86 per cent of field peas, 76 per cent of lentils and 70 per cent of durum are estimated to fall within the top two quality grades. However, weather-related quality issues such as bleaching and sprouting remain a concern in many areas. While overall yields are reported to be about average, they vary from region to region.

First Phase in the Development of an Agricultural Water Management Strategy

Today, Minister responsible for the Water Security Agency Herb Cox announced new drainage regulations in Saskatchewan. The new regulations are the first phase of an agricultural water management strategy that recognizes the benefits of drainage and the importance of mitigating negative impacts.

“We recognize drainage is an important water management tool for producers and these new regulations will help us streamline the approval process to help producers become compliant while mitigating damage downstream,” Cox said. “These new regulations are part of the development of a risk based agricultural water management strategy that will improve the overall process, including applications and investigating complaints, and will help prevent future issues.”

The key changes in the new regulations are:

ensuring that impacts related to flooding, water quality and habitat loss are addressed as part of the drainage works approval process;

allowing landowner agreements as evidence of land control;

simplifying and streamlining the application approval process;

no longer exempting works constructed before 1981 from requiring an approval; and

enabling the use of “qualified persons” in the design of higher risk drainage works.

These drainage regulations fulfill a commitment made in the 2014 Speech from the Throne. This is the first significant change to drainage regulations in 35 years.

The new drainage regulations were created after extensive online and industry stakeholder consultations. More than 500 public participants and 15 industry and environmental groups provided input into the creation of the new approach to drainage in Saskatchewan.

The new regulations are the first step in a phased-in approach to bring all drainage in the province into compliance over the next 10 years. These changes facilitate the start of the overall approach to the agricultural water management strategy.

The next phase of the agricultural water management strategy will be the development and refining of policies and program delivery which will be used in a series of pilot projects and then expanded to the rest of the province.

The pilot projects are based in the Souris Basin near Stoughton and the Assiniboine Basin near Canora. Local producers, watershed authorities and representatives in those areas have committed to working with the WSA to implement the new agricultural water management strategy and to help bring existing drainage projects into compliance.

The WSA will continue working with stakeholders on this strategy to develop policies on mitigation, application processes and informational materials.

“Drainage is one of the major issues facing rural Saskatchewan so we are pleased that the government is implementing regulations meant to address deficiencies with the current system,” Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities President Ray Orb said. “We have been awaiting this announcement and look forward to working with the government on the implementation of these regulations and further refinement of the agriculture water management strategy as it is phased in over the next few years.”

Showers or rain was reported in virtually all areas of the province last week affecting harvest progress. Harvest is estimated at slightly less than 10% complete with an additional 12% in the swath, up from 6% combined and 6% swathed the prior week. The 5 year average for this date is 11% swathed and 4% combined. Frost was reported in northern regions in the August 21-22 time period. Damage is yet to be determined but most crops should be beyond the stage for significant damage to be expected with the possible exception of canola. Crop yield estimates continue to improve as more harvest information becomes available. Yield averages improved in 4 of the 5 regions with the Peace being the only region to decline. Yield estimates improved significantly in the North West region which is the region most affected by the dry conditions. Second growth is a significant problem for producers this year. Decisions will be required whether to wait, swath now or desiccate.

Provincial soil moisture ratings improved for both surface and sub soil ratings. Surface moisture improved 3 points to 39% rated good or excellent. Significant improvements were reported in South and Central regions. Subsoil moisture improved 2 points to 34% rated good or excellent with good improvements in the South and North East regions off set somewhat by marginal declines in the North West and Peace regions.

Hay and pasture ratings showed a slight improvement to 19% of the province rated good or excellent. Ratings were higher in the South and Central regions and little changed in the remainder of the province. Current provincial ratings are: 42% Poor (- 1); 39% Fair (no change); 19% Good (+ 2); < 1% Excellent (no change). Approximately 55% of the province indicates there will be a 2nd cut dryland hay crop. Currently, 16% of the 2nd cut dryland crop and 65% of the 2nd cut irrigated crop is baled.

Regional Assessments:
The 2015 Alberta Crop Report Series provides summaries for the following five regions:

Region One: Southern (Strathmore, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Foremost)

Showers slowed harvest operations. Heavier rains received in west portion of the region.

Regional yield estimates declined marginally to 83.1% of 5 year yield average. Yield estimates declined by approximately 0.5 bushels/acre. The exception was field pea yield which increased approximately 1 bushel/acre.

Surface and sub soil moisture ratings were reported as unchanged at 26% rated good or excellent.

Pasture/hay ratings declined 1 percentage point to 15% rated good or excellent.

Producers across the province now have 16 per cent of the 2015 crop combined and 19 per cent swathed or ready to straight-cut, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Weekly Crop Report. The five-year (2010-2014) average for this time of the year is six per cent combined and 14 per cent swathed or ready to straight-cut.

Regionally, producers in the southwest have 33 per cent of the crop combined, while those in the southeast have 27 per cent combined. Eight per cent of the crop is combined in the west-central region, three per cent in the east-central and northwestern regions, and two per cent in the northeast.

Rainfall and cool temperatures during the week caused some delays in harvesting. Rainfall ranged from trace amounts to two and a half inches in some areas. Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as seven per cent surplus, 81 per cent adequate, 11 per cent short and one per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as three per cent surplus, 73 per cent adequate, 19 per cent short and five per cent very short.

The imagery from the Crop Condition Assessment Program shows continued crop improvement. The August 23rd image displays most regions approaching "normal." An image from August 9th shows a much large and consistent "brown" or "below normal area." in Alberta. Going back to July 6th, most of the prairies was "brown" or "below normal."

The resuts from the 9th weather forecasting contest ending August 23rd are in - the chart below reveals the current contest results and the formula.

WeatherFarm (using their results data, not Environmnet Canada's) had the best 3-day forecast - according to the rules we created without consulting a meterologist. Consider this "for entertainment purposes only."

WeatherFarm has now tied AccuWeather for most wins at 4 each, Environment Canada follows with 1 win, and Weather Network has yet to register a win.

The forecasts were captured at the same time, the day prior to the start of the contest, from the various forecasting groups' websites, for "Saskatoon, SK"

The resuts from the 8th weather forecasting contest ending August 17th are in - the chart below reveals the current contest results and the formula.

WeatherFarm (using their results data, not Environmnet Canada's) had the best 3-day forecast - according to the rules we created without consulting a meterologist. Consider this "for entertainment purposes only."

AccuWeather still leads the contest with the most wins (at 4) and most total points, with WeatherFarm in 2nd with 3 wins, and Environment Canada in 3rd with 1 win (Weather Network has yet to register a win).

Of note, this weeks score by WeatherFarm was the highest recorded to date!

The forecasts were captured at the same time, the day prior to the start of the contest, from the various forecasting groups' websites, for "Saskatoon, SK"

The resuts from the 7th weather forecasting contest ending August 13th are in - the chart below reveals the current contest results and the formula.

WeatherFarm (using their results data, not Environmnet Canada's) had the best 3-day forecast - according to the rules we created without consulting a meterologist. Consider this "for entertainment purposes only." AccuWeather still leads the contest with the most wins (at 4) and most total points, with WeatherFarm in 2nd with 2 wins, and Environment Canada in 3rd with 1 win (Weather Network has yet to register a win).

The forecasts were captured at the same time, the day prior to the start of the contest, from the various forecasting groups' websites, for "Saskatoon, SK"

With public consultations on farmland ownership rules wrapped this week, Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart is keeping an open mind about what legislative changes, if any, are needed to the Saskatchewan Farm Security Act.

While admitting “he hadn’t a clue” what kind of changes respondents wanted, Stewart said the government would be “informed” by the results of the survey. “Depending on the results of the survey, we may deem that no change is required. So in that case, there would be no legislation,” Stewart told reporters at the Legislative Building Wednesday.

But Stewart added: “There’s a fairly strong likelihood that we’ll find from the results of the survey that the respondents would like some kind of change. That being the case, we’ll have some legislation prepared to go in the fall session.”

During the three-month consultation period, the government received nearly 3,200 responses to its survey on the issue, with 62 per cent of coming from farmers. Only six per cent of respondents were non-residents.

Stewart conceded there will likely be some disagreement between farmers and business over the issue of farmland ownership by pension funds and other institutional investors.

The resuts from the 6th weather forecasting contest ending August 7th are in - the below charts reveal the current contest results and the formula.

AccuWeather had the best 3-day forecast - according to the rules we created without consulting a meterologist. Consider this "for entertainment purposes only." AccuWeather leads the contest with the most wins (at 4) and most total points. Environment Canada and WeatherFarm also have 1-win each.

The forecasts were captured at the same time, the day prior to the start of the contest, from the various forecasting groups' websites, for "Saskatoon, SK"

The Saskatchewan crop report from today reveals that . . . (note the weekly rainfall map at bottom, followed by an old then current crop mositure conditions - things are much improved!)

Harvest has begun in some parts of the province, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Weekly Crop Report. Less than one per cent of the provincial crop has been combined, while one per cent is ready to straight-cut.

Twenty-three per cent of fall rye, 10 per cent of winter wheat, five per cent of field peas and two per cent of lentils are now in the bin. Two per cent of canola is now swathed.
The province received a lot of rain last week, which has lodged many crops and flooded some fields and yards.

Topsoil moisture conditions have improved in many areas, thanks to rainfall that ranged from small amounts to well over six inches. Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as four per cent surplus, 69 per cent adequate, 24 per cent short and three per cent very short.

Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 58 per cent adequate, 33 per cent short and seven per cent very short.

Livestock producers now have 80 per cent of the hay crop baled or put into silage, while an additional 12 per cent is cut and will soon be ready for baling. Hay quality is rated as three per cent excellent, 53 per cent good, 36 per cent fair and eight per cent poor.

Pasture conditions are rated as one per cent excellent, 32 per cent good, 38 per cent fair, 23 per cent poor and six per cent very poor.

Some crops were damaged this week by strong winds, heavy rain, insects such as aphids and lack of moisture.

The resuts from the 5th weather forecasting contest are in - the below charts reveal the current contest results and the formula.

Environment Canada had the best 3-day forecast - according to the rules we created without consulting a meterologist. Consider this "for entertainment purposes only." This was Environment Canada's first win - Accu Weather has won three-times and Weather Farm once.

The forecasts were captured at the same time, the day prior to the start of the contest, from the various forecasting groups' websites, for "Saskatoon, SK"

Today, Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart reiterated the importance of the U.S. Senate’s outright repeal of Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) for beef and pork.

“Frankly, this issue has been dragging on for far too long,” Stewart said. “The expense and loss for our cattle and hog producers has been significant. The U.S. has had more than enough time to do the right thing and fully repeal COOL for beef and pork. If COOL isn’t fully repealed for beef and pork, we will get to the point where retaliation is inevitable. While the costs for both Canada and the U.S. will be enormous, the U.S. must comply with their trade obligations.”

The World Trade Organization (WTO) originally ruled in 2012 that COOL was discriminatory to Canadian hog and beef exports. A final ruling by the WTO in May, 2015 reaffirmed that the U.S. COOL measure is inconsistent with international trade commitments.

On June 10, 2015 the U.S. House passed a bill that would allow for the outright repeal of COOL for beef and pork while avoiding retaliation. However, a new Bill calling for voluntary labelling has stalled efforts to get the Bill passed in the Senate.

“The proposed solution of voluntary labelling as introduced by Senator Stabenow will not solve the problem,” Stewart said. “This proposal is nothing more than COOL re-worded and will continue to result in discrimination towards Canadian cattle and hogs.

Saskatchewan will continue to stand alongside the federal government in its efforts to resolve COOL, including the implementation of $3 billion in annual retaliation if necessary.

“The federal government has been persistent in their efforts to get COOL repealed for beef and pork, and we thank them for their work,” Stewart added.

Since COOL was introduced in 2008, Canada’s industry has estimated damages to be in the billions due to price declines, lost sales and added costs

Haying continues to advance in the province as livestock producers now have 67 per cent of the hay crop baled or put into silage. An additional 14 per cent is cut and ready for baling, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report. Hay quality is currently rated as two per cent excellent, 46 per cent good, 44 per cent fair and eight per cent poor.

Topsoil moisture conditions have greatly improved in much of the province, thanks to heavy rains early in the week. Rainfall ranged from small amounts to well over four inches in some areas. Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as seven per cent surplus, 62 per cent adequate, 25 per cent short and six per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as four per cent surplus, 50 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and 10 per cent very short.

Crops are ripening quickly, and the majority remains in poor-to-good condition. Harvest is just beginning in some parts of the province, with pulses being desiccated and some winter cereal and pulse crops being combined. Wind, hail, localized flooding and lack of rain have caused some crop damage this week.

Plastic Grain Bag Roller BMP

Intent of BMP:

Removing grain from grain bags often occurs during the winter months when snow and ice buildup can make it difficult to remove the bag from the field. Having access to a grain bag roller as the grain is extracted makes consolidation and recycling of the plastic easier and more convenient. The plastic also remains cleaner if immediately rolled which is preferred by the recycling industry. Recycling is an environmentally preferred alternative to burning, burying or taking bags to landfill sites.

This BMP will assist producers with the purchase of a grain bag roller. The intent of the BMP is to better manage, store and recycle grain bags thereby reducing the environmental risks associated with improper disposal.

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture is reminding producers to vaccinate their livestock following confirmation that anthrax has been found in cattle in the RM of Harris. Anthrax was confirmed by laboratory results on July 28, 2015, as the cause of death in one cow and is the suspected cause of death of two other cattle on the same farm. This is the second report of anthrax in Saskatchewan this year. Alberta reported a case in cattle in the Fort Vermillion area this week.

The July 26 crop condition assessment imagery reveals that the recent rains have helped a lot of areas' crops. The July 26 image portrays less brown with more yellow and blue regions, than say the July 5 image (both provided below). This means that in comparison to previous years, more areas are starting to look similar and some even better than normal.

There are two weeks left to participate in the farmland ownership survey. Consultations run until Monday, August 10.

As of July 24, 2015, more than 1,700 surveys have been received. The information collected will help the Government of Saskatchewan determine who should be allowed to own farmland in Saskatchewan.

“We are pleased with the amount of participation to date,” Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart said. “That being said, there is still time left to take part, and I encourage everyone interested to have their say. The more people who participate, the fuller our understanding will be of public opinion regarding farmland ownership in our province. It will help ensure that we make the best decisions for the people of Saskatchewan.”

Once consultations end, survey results and comments will be posted online in the fall of 2015. Names, addresses and all other identifying information will be removed before results are published. After the results have been analyzed, decisions will be made regarding next steps.

The survey can be completed online at www.Saskatchewan.ca/farmland. Paper copies are available at Ministry of Agriculture Regional Offices and can be requested by calling the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377. An education document accompanies the survey to give participants information regarding the existing legislation surrounding farmland ownership in the province.

We've compiled the results from the first three week's of the weather forecasting conest. The winner so far is AccuWeather, followed by

The contest consists of grabbing their forecasts at the same time on one day, for the following three days, for Saskatoon, SK. We then check the Environment Canada posted results after the three days have passed and calculate the results. Weather Farm's forecast is actually for a site north west of Saskatoon, so we post their results in comparison to their site's actual weather results and those of Environment Canada's.

For the first round, we did not include WeatherFarm - only AccuWeather, Environment Canada, and Weather Network. So, we have results below for those included in all 3 rounds, then only the most recent 2 rounds.

Sixty-six per cent of fall cereals, 68 per cent of spring cereals, 64 per cent of oilseeds and 63 per cent of pulse crops are at their normal stages of development for this time of year. Crops are ripening quickly, although the majority remain in poor-to-good condition. Lack of moisture and insects such as grasshoppers and aphids have caused the most crop damage this week.

Hay quality is currently rated as two per cent excellent, 52 per cent good, 38 per cent fair and eight per cent poor. Hay yields on dry land are well below the five year average (2010-2014). Average hay yields on dry land are estimated to be 0.8 ton per acre for alfalfa, 0.9 ton per acre for alfalfa/brome hay, 0.7 ton per acre for both other tame hay and wild hay, and 1.3 tons per acre for greenfeed. On irrigated land, average hay yields are estimated to be 2.2 tons per acre for alfalfa and alfalfa/brome hay, 2.5 tons per acre for other tame hay, 1.9 tons per acre for wild hay, and 3.1 tons per acre for greenfeed.

Today's Saskatchewan crop report contains (as usual) a crop moisture map. When we compare today's map to one from jsut three weeks ago, the changes are a welcome site. There are far less dry and more 'normal' regions.

The effect of this years dry weather is becoming increasingly apparent as the CWB crop tour moves into Saskatchewan.
Lack of moisture is visible in southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan, the CWB tour found.

However, dryness hasn’t been all bad in some areas — participants from the 2014 crop tour recall a field last year that was drowned out and covered in cattails. This year the same field near Hartney, Man. still had signs of moisture damage, but canola crops had improved significantly.

The resuts from the 2nd weather forecasting contest are in. The below charts reveal the most recent set, followed by the previous, and then the contest results formula. AccuWeather seems to have the best 4-day forecasts - according to the rules we created without consulting a meterologist. Consider this "for entertainment purposes only."

The forecasts were captured at 9:30 am the day prior to the start of the contest, from the various forecasting groups' websites, for "Saskatoon, SK"

An independent grain terminal in parched northwestern Saskatchewan has called off a planned share repurchase, to conserve cash against a possible drop in its grain handle.

North West Terminal, which operates a grain terminal and ethanol plant just east of Unity, about 90 km southwest of North Battleford, said Thursday it won’t go ahead with the share buyback as announced in February.

The buyback plan had called for NWT to repurchase about $800,000 worth of Class A and Class B NWT shares from shareholders, who are mainly local farmers.

Full story at http://www.agcanada.com/daily/sask-grain-handler-cancels-share-buyback-in-dry-spell

Saskatchewan’s dryness could likely mean an earlier harvest and smaller yield for pea and lentil crops this year, according to a regional crop specialist.

That means new-crop prices will be supported, said Chuck Penner, president at LeftField Commodity Research.

Old crops are disappearing, he said, and the market will become active as soon as farmers start harvesting. “Buyers are ready to take this crop as soon as it’s off the combine.”

Pea and lentil prices will dip slightly right after harvest, he said, especially if farmers sell heavily, but he expects the market to recover after that.

Shannon Friesen, a regional crop specialist with Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Moose Jaw, said lentil crops in the province’s west and pea crops in the province’s south are much more advanced than they should be.

There are indications desiccation will begin in August, which means farmers will start harvesting soon after, she said.

Full story at http://www.agcanada.com/daily/early-sask-lentil-pea-harvests-likely-to-support-prices

Rye crops have been reacting to Saskatchewan’s heat and dryness by developing faster than they would normally be — but healthy crops elsewhere appear to be helping to keep global prices stable, at least for the time being.

U.S. crops may stop rye prices from moving too turbulently, at least until Canada’s yield becomes more clear, said Roger Kissick, grain merchant at Linear Grain.

“The U.S. also has a good crop of their own. This early in the season, those types of concerns won’t show up until later on,” he said.

According to Kissick, considering the current values of other crops, rye prices are high — and the market will likely not be very active over coming months, until about Christmas.

Right now, he said, average rye prices are between $5.50 and $6.50 a bushel.

Full story at http://www.agcanada.com/daily/rye-prices-seen-high-but-stable

Well, we've had about as much rain as a person needs for the rest of the year. It seems like it's been raining across the province non-stop for the last two weeks of June. We've seen an exceptional amount of flooding this year across western Canada, mainly in High River & Calgary Alberta, but the immense rain stretched and blanketed over Saskatchewan for almost the whole of the last two weeks of the month. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, most farmers are at least a couple of weeks behind due to the late thaw of the snow, but as it happened, the thaw occurred too fast and now we're left with all this water.

It's one thing when you see it on the news, but recently I've been seeing it a lot first hand in Saskatoon as well as the RM of Corman Park, where out Saskatoon store is located. There are farmers with children that have to get off the bus and throw on their rubber boots just to get down the lane way. There are also acreage owners here that have to leave a vehicle at the end of the driveway, and come back and forth to the house with an ATV. There have been evacuees flooding in from northern Saskatchewan, from places such as Cumberland House who are staying at soccer & events centers around this city. These folks will thankfully be able to return home on July 3rd.

But yet, nothing compares to the damage being done in Alberta. There have been fatalities due to the flooding, and there are going to be millions in damages by the time this is all said and done. The Calgary Zoo had to relocate most of their animals, and had a few scares with losing some to the flood. The Saddle dome and Stampede grounds are under water, and several neighborhoods had to evacuate and relocate to drier ground. As our nation's fourth largest city is crippled by these floods, we stand by them as they can use all the support we have to offer.

The weather forecast shows that this is about it for the rain we're about to receive, and brighter days are ahead. We had a great Canada Day July long weekend, and we're going to be hovering around the 25 degree mark for the next two weeks with the exception of a little rain this weekend.

As a project manager for Flaman’s marketing team, I am proud and excited to announce we’ve once again been nominated for a Marketing Award. Flaman Group of Companies was named a finalist in the 2012 Achievement in Business Excellence (ABEX) Awards in the Marketing category.

Our team was then encouraged to apply for the provincial ABEX award after receiving the Saskatoon Awards for Business Excellence (SABEX) award for Marketing in May. On September 5, we waited with baited breath for the announcement of the ABEX finalists and were thrilled when we were listed.

The ABEX Awards are Saskatchewan’s largest celebration of private sector achievement. The event is hosted by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. The awards are open to any private sector business registered within the province, regardless of size, location or industry. In total, 46 nominations from Saskatchewan businesses were selected as finalists within the 10 ABEX categories.

At Flaman, we’re honoured to be nominated for this prestigious award. We work very hard to have a marketing plan that’s both strategic and creative but that ultimately offers up to our customers the products and services that they need.

“The quality and diversity of these finalists really showcases the way in which Saskatchewan’s economy is taking a leadership role within Canada, and across the global stage,” said Steve McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce in a press release.

This year’s ABEX awards gala is set for October 20th at the Delta Hotel in Regina, and is themed as a tribute to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. For more information visit www.saskchamber.com.

Another winter is among us! Combines are put away, fall work is done (we hope), and the cows are coming home. Here at Flaman we are looking forward to another grain cleaning season. I am really looking forward to getting on the road to see as many people as possible that are cleaning, or are thinking about cleaning their own grain. After an above average harvest in most areas of Saskatchewan and Alberta there is one thing on most people’s mind, Ergot. There was a number of ergot issues ranging from North Battleford all the way to Edmonton and as far south as Medicine Hat. This means busy times for Colour Sorters in Saskatchewan and Alberta. At Flaman Grain Cleaning and Handling we are offering free colour sorter demos where you can bring in your own sample and watch the Satake Colour Sorter do its’ magic! The Western Canadian Crop Production Show is back in Saskatoon from January 9th – 12th, 2012. I will be making my way down the Yellowhead to Edmonton on January 11th – 13th, 2012 for the Alberta Seed Cleaning convention taking place at the Westin Hotel. This is a first time show for myself and I am very excited to see the people behind the Co-op Seed Cleaning Plants of Alberta. Christmas is coming fast so make sure to get that Christmas shopping done and have a very safe and happy holiday season!

Southern Saskatchewan 2011 harvest is under way! The combines are rolling through peas and lentils in most of the areas that I have seen. The crops are looking above average in most areas of the south, after a rainfall of 25 to 30 inches in the south last year it is not hard to compare the quality of this year’s crop. Pea acres seem to be down substantially this year compared to recent years, after seeing what the quality of the peas are this year, this may be a tough pill for some farmers to swallow especially if the price continues to rise. The lentil quality also looks very good this year, after the European’s declared no glyphosate on lentils I have seen a few more lentil acres being swathed this year. Canola is being swathed daily and more and more acres are down every day, the canola crop’s look very good in southern Saskatchewan this year, which is a different look this year due to the fact that you would not usually see so many canola acres in Southern Saskatchewan, But with last year’s chem.-fallow acres very high it set farmers up well for a large canola year. Wheat and durum are slowly behind in some spots I have seen; staging anywhere from seeing wheat being swathed to wheat that still needs 3-4 weeks frost free weather to avoid another feed wheat year. As long as we can keep that white combine away, I would say that the 2011 crop year will be a very successful year in most areas of the South that did not drown out in June.

This spring has been a very different one for many producers in the prairies, from near disastrous flooding in the southern parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, to drought in northern Alberta and B.C. It seems that nothing is predictable in the agricultural sector anymore (if it ever was).

One thing is certain for all producers, in all provinces: we need all the help we can get. That is why Flaman Rentals has once again expanded our network of dealers, as well as the large line of products carried.

In Saskatchewan we’d like to welcome our newest dealers: B & A Petroleum, having enjoyed great success in their Maple Creek location, has now expanded into Assiniboia. In Blaine Lake you can now go to Blair Industrial and see Blair for all your rental needs and last but not least…. Andres Inc is now our newest dealer in Windthorst.

In Alberta we’re happy to announce these dealers to serve you better: visit Brian Headon of Headon Rentals in the Lloydminster and surrounding trading area, Dunvegan Fab and Welding in the Fairview area and Whitetail Ventures in the High Level and La Crete areas.

And what better way to mark this expansion then to introduce our new Flaman Rentals website. Please take some time to navigate the site and see what we have to offer. We think you’ll find it very user-friendly and informative. And check out the Flaman Rental dealer closest to you!

According to a report from the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, there is potential for above normal spring runoff throughout the southern part of the province, as well as the central area bounded by Kindersley, Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford and a large portion of the eastern agricultural area. This high runoff is linked to excessive rainfall last year and an above average snowpack.

“Above normal precipitation and/or rapid snow melt will increase the threat of high runoff and risk of flooding,” states the report. “Even with average weather conditions between now and runoff, some localized flooding can be anticipated.”

To help mitigate the potential damage from yet another year of flooding, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority and the Ministry of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing have created a $22 million Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program.

Through this program, communities, rural municipalities and farm and country residences can access funding and assistance to implement flood reduction or prevention measures. The program will cover 100 per cent of engineering costs to design flood protection works and cost share a variety of flood protection such as: construction of dykes or berms, pumping, sandbags, material to fill sandbags and equipment rental to fill sandbags.

In anticipation of the needs of many farmers and rural residents this spring, Flaman Sales went looking for products that could help prevent flooding and financial losses at farmyards and homes.

“Flooding is a big concern this year,” says Dave Weightman, Director of Operations for the Flaman Group of Companies. “And being prepared is critical. You can’t start planning for a flood when you see the water coming down the road. We’re here to help our customers and offer them services that, unfortunately, could be in very high demand again this year.”

This year Flaman has a sand bagger to purchase or rent, which easily fills 400 50-lb sandbags in only one hour. The company also carries items like tear-resistant sand bags and water pumps, which can be covered under the funding program.

“I think the Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program is a great way to offer assistance. With every disaster there is a cost,” says Weightman. “Many municipalities may have a flood plan, but a lot of individual people may not have access to those resources because of demand.”

Please contact your local watershed authority to learn more about the Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program and how to apply. You can also call their head office at (306) 694-3900 or visit www.swa.ca.

Well, there are many reason to buy an aluminum trailer vs a traditional steel trailer. Firstly Aluminum is lighter by 35- 45% which means your payload is going to be higher than a steel trailer with the same axle rating. Generally though most aluminum trailers have a lighter axles than their steel counterparts but are still able to offer the same payload. This equals a less weight to haul (better fuel economy) and your trailer is easier to move around when hitching up.

Another big advantage of aluminum is that it does not rust nor will you have a rotting wood deck to replace (considering you purchased an aluminum decked trailer). A simple acid wash brings the shine of the trailer immediately back.

One of the main misperceptions about aluminum trailers is that aluminum is not as strong as steel. Actually pound for pound aluminum can be two and half times as strong as steel. The extruded shape and type of aluminum used provides a higher tensile strength. Finally if aluminum was weaker why are airplanes made of it?